Obituary of Roland George Pihlaja

Roland George Pihlaja, 36, Woodland Park, CO, died Monday, August 25, 2003 in El Paso County, Colorado. He was born October 2, 1966 in Moose Lake, MN, the son of Allan and Shirley (Long) Pihlaja. Roland was a 1985 graduate of Bellflower High School in Bellflower, California. He graduated from Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, OK and obtained many licenses to work on the various aircraft components and systems. His jobs in the aircraft industry took him all over the world. Roland had an uncanny ability to just be able to take a look at something that was mechanically not working and using whatever was available, get it working again with very little effort. He was preceded in death by his father, Allan on April 26, 1979; his maternal grandmother, Christine Long and his paternal grandmother, Helia Hendrickson. Roland is survived by his mother and step-father, Shirley and Richard Rodrigues of Mariposa, CA; brother, Roger and Cathy Pihlaja of Cromwell; a sister, Ardell Bridge of Long Beach, CA and her daughter, Erin, of St. Cloud; an aunt, Avis (Jack) Tillman of Cromwell and his maternal grandfather, George Long of Washburn, WI. Funeral services were held on Tuesday, September 2, 2003 in Northland Funeral Home, 801 14th Street, Cloquet followed by a time of lunch and fellowship in the Fireside Room of the funeral home. To sign the guestbook or leave an online tribute, see northlandfuneralhome.com.